Playground Sweethearts
by FluffDucklings
Summary: It began with a meeting at the playground. After that, things picked up fast. Matthew doesn't know what he's gotten himself into, but he doesn't really mind. Rating may go up in future chapters. Future pairing of PruCan. Also, a bit of FrUk.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm reeling them out! :D I feel so happy! -dances- I think this is my last attempt at play before State Standardized Testing next week. -shudder- Those tests are so easy a monkey could do them... Wait...

Anyways, I got this idea while enduring torture for 90 minutes having to watch a movie called... _A Walk to Remember_. Urgh. As much as I dislike those sappy movies, I dislike writing in the dark even more. Grr. The muse "Playground" popped into my head a few minutes after class started and I just started writing. I thought it was going to be a short little one-shot about Matthew meeting Gilbert for the first time in his life, but those guys have other plans. I think this is going to be semi-long! :D And I think I am going to be able to finish it! :DD

Since I keep forgetting: I don't own Hetalia or those awesome playgrounds that the public provides. But, I do own a nice little thing called plot! :3

I hope you like, and don't forget~ Reviews make me happy like you wouldn't believe~ ^-^ /review whore

* * *

><p>Francis was at his wits end. All morning, Matthew had been running around the house, checking out and exploring his new home. His brother, Alfred, was right along beside him – always the more destructive of the two. And lastly – the icing on the cake or rather, the marmalade on the scone – was Arthur, as he invaded the kitchen and took over the oven (much to the complete horror of everyone else).<p>

So, in a last resort attempt, Francis decided to take the boys to the playground to burn off energy.

Alfred ran ahead, down the red-bricked pathway, to the swing set. "I'll swing higher than you, Mattie!" he called over his shoulder.

Matthew looked up to his Papa. "Go on, Mon petite," Francis ushered as he looked for a nearby bench.

Matthew caught up with his twin, who was chattering animatedly with another boy beside him as the two swung. "H-Hey, Al."

"Hey, Mattie! This is Gilbert. Doesn't he look coo?"

"A-Al! That's rude." Matthew blushed at his brother's oblivion. He turned to Gilbert, while scooting over to the swing on Alfred's left. "I-I'm Matthew."

"Yeah. Alfred told me." Gilbert pushed harder, going higher up that Alfred. The swing made an almost perfect parallel to the ground. Matthew watched in awe. This kid was different.

* * *

><p>Francis sat back in the bench. He was watching Alfred as he assumedly talked a boy's ear off and he watched Matthew as he sat flustered and red-faced. He laughed quietly – more of a chuckle really – as he said to himself, "I think he's got his first crush."<p>

Francis looked at the third boy. He had platinum hair that reflected the light and he wore sunglasses. He had a 'tough guy' look to him, even though he was probably only eight. He looked strong – both physically and emotionally. The way he laughed, in a way that said he was always right, gave him an air of confidence.

"Ahaha! C'mon, Gil! Let's go play on the gym!" Alfred shouted as he bolted off the swing. Francis watched as Gil sat on the swing for a moment – maybe debating whether or not to go after the loud-mouth. Instead, he turned to Matthew, who was swinging gently, and said, "You don't yell like Alfred. I like you."

Frances laughed as his boy's face turned an interesting shade of red.

He looked over to where Alfred had run off to and saw he was now talking to two Asian boys. He smiled. Alfred always was the more social of his twins.

* * *

><p>"Why's your face red? Ya sick?" Gilbert waved a hand in front of Matthew's face.<p>

"W-Wha? N-No! I-I'm not sick – Sorry."

What cha sorry for? You might not be as loud as Alfred, but you're definitely weirder." Gilbert laughed.

Matthew scrunched up his face into a put. "Am not."

"Are to."

"No. You're the weird one."

"Oh yeah?" Gilbert challenged. He puffed out his chest, trying to look bigger. "How?"

Matthew looked at Gilbert. Okay, he was really pale, -wasn't that called albino? – but so was he (though not _that_ much!). The sunglasses just made him look cool – mysterious even. He was funny and in Matthew's opinion, seemed pretty nice. "N-Nevermind."

Gilbert made a noise – a laugh maybe? – that sounded like "kesesesese."

"I want you to be my friend, Birdie."


	2. Chapter 2

"Gil's coming over?" Alfred asked as Francis scurried throughout the kitchen – if you could still call the war torn like conditions it was in a kitchen – and Arthur sat, flushed grumbling under his breath.

"Yes. Matthew invited him."

Alfred huffed. Why hadn't Matthew told him? It's not like Alfred _cared_that Gilbert was coming over, oh no. It's just, Matthew should have told him – he tells Matthew everything!

* * *

><p>Matthew, who had been cleaning Alfred's side of the bedroom, flopped down on his bed with a defeated sigh. There was just no taming that side of the room.<p>

What was even the point of cleaning? It's not like Matthew was trying to _impress_ Gilbert, oh no. It's just, Matthew had never had a friend over and he did not know what to do or expect.

He sat back, giving the room one last once-over and deemed it acceptable. Matthew moved a piece of his golden hair behind an ear and made his way downstairs, where he could hear his Papa cleaning and chastising.

"You know, Mon Cher that you cannot cook."

* * *

><p>„Vati! Wann wir sind verlessen?" Gilbert asked.<p>

His father looked at the unusually giddy child. The only other time he ever acted like this was when his brother took time off from college and played with him. „In einer Minute, Gilbert." He pat Gilbert's head.

The boy smiled. Gilbert was very excited to be going to Matthew's house. In fact, he was so excited that he forgot that Ludwig would be visiting from college that night. A sudden twinkle caught his eye and he smiled mischievously.

„Wie wӓr's mit jetzt?"

Fritz laughed haughtily. „Gut, gut. Wir warden gehen jetzt." Gilbert cheered and babbled on in German through the whole car ride.

„Und Mathias ist sehr stark. Mir gefallen!"

„Ist das stimmt?"

„Uh-huh." Gilbert looked out the window and the houses and street signs that flew past. „Wir sind dort noch?"

„Noch nicht aber bald."

Fritz pulled into a subdivision and followed the directions his navigation system repeated robotically.

"Turn left in 50 yards." Fritz saw no existing road or street – only a house – so he assumed that either this was their destination or the Navi was wrong.

"Is this it?" Gilbert asked in English. Fritz chuckled at his youngest son's eagerness.

"I think so, but I want you to stay in the car while I make sure." Gilbert nodded and scanned the yard to his left. It had normal, everyday child-like things such as various bouncy balls, a shovel and pail, and a trike that was haphazardly thrown on its side.

Fritz stepped around a headless action figure and knocked on the door. He could hear voices inside. The door opened to reveal a blonde man with striking blue eyes and a bit a facial hair.

"Ah, you must be Monsieur Beilschmidt, oui?"

"Yes. You're Matthew's father, correct?"

Behind Francis, Fritz could see another blonde man and two identical boys.

"Oui, I am Francis Bonnefoy. Come in, come in." Francis looked down. "Where is… little Gilbert?"

"He's in the car." Fritz turned and motioned for Gilbert to come to him. "We weren't sure if this was the right house. Say hello to Mr. Bonnefoy, Gilbert."

"Hello, Mr. Bonnefoy." Gilbert flashed a toothy smile.

"Hello to you too, Gilbert. Well, come in! Matthew's been running himself all morning, waiting for you to arrive. I bet he'll be very excited to see you."

Gilbert followed his father, who followed Francis into the house.

"Papa! Dad's trying to feed us his scones!" Alfred ran into Francis, hiding behind his legs.

"Mon Cher, stop scarring the children, we have guests."

"Shut your bloody trap, git. I'm not scarring them." Arthur came out to the main hallway. "Oh. You must be Matthew's friend. He's just in there." He pointed Gilbert to the kitchen before turning his attention to Fritz.

"Let's sit in the den. Get acquainted, no?" Francis led the two men to the den, offering Fritz a cup of coffee which he politely refused.

"So," he started awkwardly. Fritz never was one to mingle with others. "Your boys are twins?"

"Yes. Identical." Arthur answered immediately. Fritz shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Francis noticed the slight twitch. "I hope you're not… uncomfortable with… us." He motioned toward himself and Arthur.

"Wha- No. Not at all. In fact, my oldest is in a relationship with a nice Italian boy right now. I'm just worried if Gilbert will behave. He can be a bit… er, eccentric."

Francis chuckled. "You obviously haven't met Alfred."

"The lad's too much energy to sit still for more than a few minutes, "Arthur added.

The three men laughed.

"Well. My oldest is coming home from college tonight and I need to start on making dinner for him and Feliciano." Fritz wiped his hands across his pants and stood up. "It was nice meeting you and I hope Gilbert isn't too much trouble."

"Nonsense, he and Alfred can tire each other out." Francis clapped him on the shoulder. "Good luck with dinner."

"Thank you for taking him today. And thanks." Fritz smirked. "I could use the luck. Feli is very strict when it comes to pasta."

Arthur and Francis followed Fritz to the door and the three said good bye. Just as Arthur was closing the door, they heard a crash come from upstairs and Alfred yell, "You damn Nazi!"

Arthur flew up the stairs at that, all the while, shouting towards the crash, "Where hell did you learn that kind of language?" Francis shook his head at Arthur and made his way up the stairs also.

In the boy's room, Arthur was all but shouting at Alfred about his language and to apologize to Gilbert. "You don't use that kind of language in this house and you definitely don't go calling people Nazi's!"

Alfred was looking to the side with a glare. "Then he shouldn't have jumped on Mattie!"

Matthew and Gilbert were standing a few feet to Alfred's left, not wanting to say anything or get in the way of Arthur's chastising.

"I didn't jump on him, I fell." Gilbert said indigently. Matthew nodded.

"I don't care what happened, Alfred. You don't go around calling people Nazis! It's rude and not in any way appropriate! Now apologize to Gilbert."

Alfred huffed and scuffed his foot on the carpet floor. "Fine. I'm sorry."

Gilbert smiled (was that a smirk?) and accepted the weak apology. "It's okay."

Arthur stood back up straight and accepted that that was the best apology that Alfred would give. "Now your father and I are going to be in the kitchen, making lunch, and you had better straighten up or Gilbert's leaving early." Alfred nodded.

* * *

><p>"That was a bit harsh, Mon Cher. Why punish Mathieu and Gilbert for something Alfred did? It hardly seems fair."<p>

Arthur pulled out a head of lettuce from the fridge and replied, "Well, he has to learn somehow that there are consequences for his actions. Now shut up and make the sandwiches."

Upstairs, the boys were making more noise, hopefully playfully this time, and Francis just went on with making their lunch.

* * *

><p>The boys were called down for lunch nearly half an hour after the Nazi fiasco and Arthur and Francis were glad to see Gilbert and Alfred racing each other while Matthew followed behind, smiling.<p>

"What's for lunch Dad?" Alfred asked after he beat Gilbert to the dining room. He was jumping up and down while holding the back of a chair – said chair teetering on its hind legs.

"We're having sandwiches. I hope that's alright, Gilbert." Gilbert nodded.

Matthew had detoured into the kitchen while Alfred and Gilbert had been racing and was helping his Papa bring out everyone's lunch.

"Don't drop anything, Mon Petite."

"I won't, Papa." Matthew held the platter of sandwiches tighter.

* * *

><p>"Gilbert. Your father called and said that he'll be here in a few minutes to pick you up. Your brother is coming to visit."<p>

Gilbert looked up to Arthur. "Awesome! I forgot West was coming!"

"He said to get ready." Arthur left the room.

"Who's West?" Matthew asked. Alfred had left the two, saying something about being bored.

"West is West. He's my older brother. He's coming from college to visit us. He's probably bringing his boyfriend too."

Matthew blushed. "Boyfriend?"

"Yeah. His names Feliciano. But we all just call him Feli. Hey! Do you want to come over tonight? You could sleep over and have some pasta. Dad probably tried to make it, but Feli will just make some more. His pasta is awesome!"

"Like you?" Matthew cut in.

"Yeah! Like me! So, do you wanna?" Gilbert held a steady stance as he gleamed at Matthew.

"W-Why not?" Now he was nervous. Having someone come over was one thing, but going over to someone else's house was a whole new level.

"Awesome!" Gilbert cheered. "You should ask your Dad, though." Matthew nodded and the two made their way down the stairs.

"Mr. Bonnefoy! Could Matthew spend the night at my house?" Gilbert called as he rushed down the stairs.

Francis and Arthur were sitting in the den again, drinking their own respected cup of coffee and tea. "What is it you just said, lad?" Arthur asked.

"I was wondering if Matthew could spend the night at my house tonight. He could meet my brother and eat pasta and meet my bird! Please?"

Francis smiled and looked to Arthur. "Could he? It could be good for Mom Petite."

Arthur mulled it over. Matthew really hadn't ever been to a friend's house. (That was Alfred's thing.) "Fine. Matthew can go. You just have to make sure it is alright with your father, though." Gilbert nodded and just as Alfred came bounding down the stairs, Fritz was knocking on the door.

"I hope GIlbert wasn't too much trouble." He looked warily towards his son once Francis let him in. Gilbert smiled inoccently and whistled softly.

"No no. He was fine. Alfred was the one to give any trouble." Francis laughed. "But, Gilbert does have something to ask..."

"Oh! Could Matthew spend the night? He could meet West and Feli and Gilbird!"

"Why not. Is Matthew and his fathers okay with it?"

"We're fine. Just needed your say." Francis pushed Matthew nearer Gilbert. "Do you have a bad packed, Mon Petite?"

Matthew shook his head, a light blush on his nose. "I-I need to go pack one." Francis nodded and Matthew and Gilbert went to go pack his bag.

"Mattie's sleeping over at Gil's?"

* * *

><p>AN: ._. I hate this chapter! RAWR! -giant bug crawls out of mouth and destorys earth- Anyways~ I wrote this during the last week. We had state testing and yeah. Bleh! But~ I have no more state testing~ Next year we have different tests. :3

I've never writen Fritz before and I'm not so good with Francis (or Arthur). XD But I see Fritz as a good father who is lonely after his wife died and was never that good at socializing.  
>I know Gilbert was wayyy OOC in this chapter. He was all happy and go lucky, but he's not Prussia Gilbert, just Gilbert Gilbert. Plus, he's like.. 10. Give him credit! (Character development on its way~)<p>

Next chapter will feature Mattie meeting Ludwig and Feli and Gilbird and maybe some GerIta hinting? I love them so much~ They're almost canon like SuFin! (Or NorIce) And later chapters may feature a bit of Francis's past~ :3 I have some awesome stuff planned for him!

I used my knowledge of German from school so, if anything is wrong, please tell me!

Translations:

German

1. Vati! Wann wir sind verlessen? - Father! When are we leaving?

2. In einer Minute, Gilbert. - In a minute, Gilbert.

3. Wie wӓr's mit jetzt? - How about now?

4. Gut, gut. Wir warden gehen jetzt. - Okay, okay. We will go now.

5. Und Mathias ist sehr stark. Mir gefallen! - And Matthew is so awesome! Like me!

6. Ist das stimmt? - Is that right/correct?

7. Wir sind dort noch? - Are we there yet?

8. Noch nicht aber bald. - Not yet, but soon.

And then the usual Oui and Non. :3


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I'm late... Sorry...  
>I don't own Hetalia or amazing pancakes...<p>

* * *

><p>Fritz opened the door for Matthew and Gilbert.<p>

"Ludwig and Feliciano are in the kitchen, finishing the pasta. Gilbert, go show Matthew your room so he may put his bag up."

"Alright, Vati!" Gilbert took Matthew's hand in his and showed the blonde boy around the house – his bedroom being the last stop. "This is my room. Gilbird is near the window."

Matthew looked at the only window in the room. It was large and had a window seat in the sill. A large rustic cage sat beside it. He could hear small "_Piyo Piyo_" noises coming from said cage. "Why is his name Gilbird?" Was that okay to ask?

"I named him after me because he's awesome like me!" Gilbert laughed and opened the cage door. The small yellow bird flittered out and landed on his master's head. He _piyo-piyo_-ed and fluffed out his feathers before burrowing into his hair.

Matthew blushed. That bird was cute.  
>_<p>

"Ve~ Ludwig go sit with your father!" Feliciano said. The lithe brunette Italian was currently stirring a pot of tomato sauce and keeping a careful eye on the bubbling pasta one burner over. Feli took the rag Ludwig was holding and tossed it into the sink. "Ve~ I can finish the pasta on my own!"

"Ja, ja. I know." Ludwig glanced at the countertops. There was not a speck of sauce or flour, but they just didn't feel clean yet!

"Ve~ I'll clean up if I get anything on the counters! Now go sit down!" And with that, Feliciano pushed Ludwig out of his own – or rather, his father's – kitchen. "Now it's time to work!" he said, clapping his hands together.

The tomato sauce bubbled and popped, spraying sauce over the counters and on the backs of Feliciano's arms. "O-oops."

"W-What happened?" Ludwig said, rushing past the swinging door and back into the kitchen. He saw the tomato sauce and then Feli rubbing his arm with a rag.

"Ve~ The sauce is hot."

Ludwig's gaze softened when he saw that Feli's arms were red from the sauce. "Y-You didn't… hurt yourself did you?"

Feliciano smiled. "No. It just scared me. Ve~" He smiled when Ludwig looked over the small burn marks. "Dinner is ready so could you get the table set?" Ludwig gave a small smile and went to place plates and silverware on the dinner table.

* * *

><p>"Boys! It's time for dinner. Gilbert, put your bird in his cage and you can give him its own dinner after ours." Fritz came into the room to find Gilbird flying around, squawking in its deep voice, and Gilbert showing Matthew a stack of comic books.<p>

"T-Thank you, Mr. Beilschmidt," Matthew said.

"It's no problem. Now, if unless you want to make Feliciano unhappy, you two'd better get down to the dinner table for his pasta." The old German man laughed as Gilbert pulled Matthew diligently down the stairs and to said table to keep said Italian happy and for said pasta.

"Feli's pasta is the most awesome-mest thing on Earth! Almost as awesome as me! Oh! And this is West!" Ludwig turned around and looked down at the two children.

Matthew froze under Ludwig's stare. It was – with a lack of better descriptive wording – scary as hell. "U-U-Um."

"Stop scaring him, West!" Gilbert said, slapping his older brother on the arm. He turned to Matthew and said, "Luddy isn't really scary. He just looks scary," and snickered.

Ludwig ignored his little brother and set the rest of the table. Feliciano burst into the room, a big pot of pasta in tow and Fritz came in with the sauce. "I hope little Matteo likes my pasta! Ve~"

The family plus Matthew sat at the table and Feli began piling each plate with a generous helping of pasta and then smothering it in sauce. (He put a bit extra on Ludwig's plate.) The bubbly Italian sat down after filling his own plate and the family began eating.

Gilbert started slurping down noodles, getting sauce all over his face and on the table. Beside him, Ludwig was scooting over, trying to get away from the albino monster. Feliciano was eating – see: inhaling – his share of pasta and Fritz was just watching the whole thing go down. On his left, Matthew ate quietly, watching with slight amusement as Gilbert slurped up the last of his noodles and Ludwig began scrubbing his mouth with a napkin. I mean, after living with someone like Alfred for ten years, you would get used to the messes he and people like him left behind.

"Ve~ Ludwig~ Did you like the pasta?" Feli was smiling hugely. Ludwig nodded as he ate the last bit on his plate. "Would you like dessert?"

At that, Ludwig turned bright red and stuttered over his words. "I-I-I d-don't thin-"

"I bought ice cream on the way over, ve~"

"I want ice cream!" Gilbert shoved the napkin away and looked over at Feliciano.

With their stomachs full of pasta and ice cream, Matthew and Gilbert were tucked (or not) into bed by Fritz and fast asleep. The two were exhausted from a day of playing and Fritz could only imagine what the next day could be like.

"Oi, Birdie, you asleep?" Gil asked after Fritz had shut the lights off and gone down to the den to talk with Ludwig and Feliciano.

"N-No Gilbert. D-Did you want to ask something?" Matthew could see the silver outline of Gilbert's silhouette next to him in the bed. Gilbird and his cage cast a shadow of lines across their faces from the window.

"I just wanted to tell you that I like you." Matthew blushed. "All my other friends aren't as awesome as you. They always make fun of me being albino, but you don't. You also aren't stuffy like Roderich or overbearing like Elizaveta." Gilbert shifted in the bed, turning to face Matthew. "Danke."

"W-What?"

"Sorry. It means thank you in German. I'm from Germany!" Matthew could see Gilbert stick a thumb towards himself.

"T-That's cool. A-Alfred and I are from Canada."

"Really? That's so awesome!"

From the den, Fritz could hear the boys talking in not so hushed voices. He smiled warmly and turned back to Feliciano, who was talking rapidly about how he and Ludwig and his twin brother Romano and his boyfriend Antonio had gone on a double date.

"And then Fratello hit Toni on the head. It was really mean and he needed a hug after that to calm him down." Feliciano was practically re-enacting the date with all the gesticulation he was using; arms swinging everywhere. "Ve~ Right Ludwig?"

Ludwig nodded with exhaustion. All he wanted to do was go upstairs, change, and maybe… Feliciano yawned, cutting off his thoughts.

"Ve~ I'm tired." Feli yawned again, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. He slumped on to Ludwig's shoulder. "Can we go to bed?"

Fritz chuckled. "Yes, Feli. We can all go to bed," Fritz said loudly. The little voices upstairs silenced. He stood up (with one more chuckle) and bid good night. Just before heading up the stairs, he turned to face back toward Ludwig. "Keep it down, ja?" And he left for bed.

Ludwig blushed furiously. He looked down at Feliciano who was already asleep. He made small noises as he exhaled, like a cat. The large German sighed deeply and picked up the lithe Italian. Honestly, he was heavier than he looked.

* * *

><p>Upstairs, Matthew was shaking like a leaf. They had heard Fritz tell them to go to sleep. Gilbert had taken it in stride, not bothering to stop talking, just quiet his voice, but Matthew was not one to disobey adults.<p>

"And then I saw them sucking face. It was so gross." Gilbert said quietly as he snickered. "H-Hey, are you okay? Are you cold?"

"N-No. I'm fine. I'm just tired." Matthew whispered. He closed his eyes, ignoring Gilbert and fell off to sleep.

When he woke up, the sun was casting faint shadows from Gilbird's cage across the bed. He looked to his right. Gilbert was gone. He probably had woken up earlier…

Slipping out of bed, Matthew made his way down stairs, in search of his host. The kitchen seemed to be alive, with sounds of something being fried in a pan and the smell of fresh bread in the oven. He pushed through the swinging doors and found Feliciano in a light green apron, humming to himself, spatula in hand.

"Ah, Matteo! Luddy and Gilbert are in the backyard, feeding the puppies. Do you want to help them?" Feliciano flipped a sausage on the stove.

Matthew looked up shyly and shook his head. "C-Could I help y-you make breakfast?"

The Italian's face lit up. "I would love that!" He danced (at least that was what it looked like to Matthew) and showed the small blonde what he was cooking and what he could help with.

* * *

><p>"I hate those darn mutts." Gilbert grumbled as he walked through the back door. The dogs began barking again as soon as the word "mutt" was through his lips. "See? They're stupid."<p>

Ludwig shook his head. "The dogs are fine. They are not stupid and they just don't like you either."

"Whatever. Hey! What's Feli making for breakfast?" Gilbert ran towards the swinging kitchen door. In the kitchen, he saw Feliciano putting the last of the sausages on a large platter and Matthew setting out a pitcher of orange juice. "Hey, Birdie! What's for breakfast?"

"G-Good morning, Gilbert. Feliciano and I made p-pancakes."

"Ve~ Matteo makes bien pancakes! They look so good!" Feliciano smiled. "I also made eggs and sausage." He hugged Ludwig and pecked his cheek who promptly blushed.

Gilbert's eyes widened. "E-Eggs? I _told_ Vati that he couldn't keep eggs!" His almost non-existent eyebrows were knitted together as he worried over the plate of scrambled eggs. "W-West, do something!"

Ludwig sighed and took the eggs back into the kitchen and boxing them up for later. Back in the dining room, Feliciano was practically in tears, along with Gilbert. The Italian was apologizing to Gilbert through tears (even if he didn't really understand why he was apologizing) and Gilbert was crying, sobbing about Gilbird and how his mother had been killed and his brothers and sisters eaten for breakfast.

Ludwig shook his head. "Sorry you have to see this, Matthew." Matthew looked up at him.

"W-Will he-they be okay?"

"Yes. Feliciano always cries and East thinks he too 'awesome to cry'."

Matthew nodded and tried his best to stop Gilbert's crying as Fritz walked into the room.

"What is going on? Ludwig! What happened?"

Ludwig sighed for the umpteenth time that morning and explained the situation again. "You bought eggs."

Fritz planted his face into the palm of his hand. How could he have forgotten? Gilbert was very protective of Gilbird and any other bird. Chicken and eggs were not to be kept in the house or eaten in front of him.

* * *

><p>After the fiasco was cleared up and tears dried, the family (plus Matthew) sat down for breakfast.<p>

"These are amazing pancakes, Birdie! I could eat them forever!" The shy blonde blushed and thanked Gilbert for the compliment.

"P-Papa taught me how to cook."

"So when do you have to go home, Birdie?" Gilbert said, seemingly ignoring the last comment.

"I-I don't know…" Matthew turned to Fritz.

"You fathers said that they needed you back before noon. So we'll have to leave soon. After you're finished, you and Gil go pack up your things and we'll leave." Matthew nodded obediently.

The two boys finished their breakfast and got back up to Gilbert's room. Gilbird was chirping excitedly, mad that he had been ignored and not given his morning meal.

"I'm sorry, Gilly!" Gilbert said as he scooped a cup of bird seed out of the large bag by the cage and placed it with the bird. After the water was changed along with the paper, Gilbert helped Matthew pack up his things. He slipped a comic book in when he wasn't looking.

"This was fun, Birdie!" Gilbert said when the packing was done. "Next time you'll have to meet Roddy and Elizaveta. And we can all go swimming!"

Matthew smiled. "T-That sounds like fun, but… Could Alfred come? He loves to swim."

Gilbert huffed. "Fine. But he can't call me a Nazi anymore. Nazi's were mean and we don't like to talk about them." He laughed for a moment. "Do you have any other friends? It's summer and swimming with a bunch of people is fun!"

Matthew thought for a moment. Did he have any other friends? "I-I know a boy named Ismael and another boy named Tim. Is that alright?"

"That's awesome. We can go swimming next weekend now!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Phew. This chapter gave me so much trouble. Grumble grumble. First off, I couldn't think of where I wanted this to go, then Feliciano kept wanting the spot light and Ludwig wanted... other things. /blushblush  
>Then Gilbert was a complete spazz over eggs, cuz he owns a bird and who wants to eat eggs when they have a cute little birdie friend? Not Gil, that's who!<br>And since it's summer, and like.. 400,000 degrees here in Texas, I decided that the little kiddies could go swimming to bring their friendship together. :'3  
>Oh! Ismael = Cuba and Tim = Danmark. :'3 I was going to go with The Netherlands and name him Lars, but as much as I love him, I love Danmark more. He's so cool! .w.<br>Um.. Ludwig's dogs names are... Blackie, Berlitz, und Aster. (see what I did thur. hurrrrr)

Oh and just a little fact I just learned. America and Canada's Japanese voice actor also voice Snorlax, Delibird, and other Pokemon. This fact makes me happy. =3= And their English one voices Sanji in One Piece. Ahhh, I love the internet...


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I wanted to get this chapter out for Mattie's birthday, but I couldn't update yesterday. Nothing even mentioning Canada Day, but I'm only one girl! Leave me alone! XD I do have something for my favourite American though~ I'll be sure to post it on Independence Day~  
>While I was writing this chapter I noticed that I had Dänemark, Cuba, Prussia, and America as children with Matthew. The only one missing is The Netherlands and then I would have everyone I love to pair Matthew with… as a gay couple… now for others… well, the list just goes on. XD<br>I mentioned Miss Ukraine, Ivan, and Belarus also. I'm sorry to say that they may not make much of an appearance until everyone gets older. …That and I'm afraid of what Belarus would do to Alfred…

Okay, tell me. Who doesn't think little!Matthew cleaning is not cute? I dare someone! Ha.  
>I also noticed that when Tim introduced himself to Liz and Gil, everyone just seemed to ignore him. XD Maybe that's why he becomes so controlling?<br>Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will try not to make my updates so spaced out… I'm a procrastinator even outside of school… Please enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think. /bows

Ismael – Cuba

Tim – Dänemark

Maria - …Mexico if you want to, but she's really just an OC

Elizaveta – Hungary

Roderich - Austria

* * *

><p>Francis watched as his petite Mathieu ran through the house, picking up Alfred's toys, helping Arthur fold clothes, attempt to sweep the wooden floors with the tall broom, and finally plop down on the love chair in the den. The man chuckled.<p>

"Papa, I'm tired," Matthew mumbled.

"I know. I would be too if I were running around the house all morning."

Matthew looked up at his Papa who was standing behind the couch. The man appeared upside-down to the boy. He giggled. "You're upside-down, Papa."

"You're upside-down to me, Mon Cher."

"Will you sit with me, Papa?" Matthew asked, sitting up. He made room on the couch for Francis and patted the seat. "Please?"

Francis chuckled and nodded. "You are awful talkative today, no?" Matthew blushed.

"S-Sorry. I'm just excited. Gilbert invited me to go swimming with him. He told me to bring a few friends and said Alfred could come too."

"Oh? Well who are you inviting?"

Matthew looked at Francis shyly. "I-Ismael and Tim. From school."

Francis thought. Ismael sounded familiar. He was the Cuban boy who always mixed his sweet Matthew and Alfred up. Tim, though… "Who is Tim?"

"Tim is from Denmark. He was new at school and so I was nice to him, just like you told me to do to everyone." Matthew smiled brightly.

From Denmark, wow. "That's good. See what being nice to others gets you? Is Tim a nice friend?"

"Yes! When we still went to school, Tim would talk with me and play on the playground with me."

"So. When is this swim party?" Francis watched as his little Matthew hopped up. His mop of wavy blonde hair swished as he looked for a calendar. He dashed into the kitchen, pushed a chair to the fridge and read the first date not crossed off on the monthly calendar. It was Friday, the 17th.

"Gilbert said to come over on Saturday," he called. "Papa! Can we call Ismael and Tim?" Matthew took the slip of paper with Ismael's number and gave it to Francis. He then ran up to his shared room and took the paper with Tim's phone number out from its hiding place between the mattresses. "Papa, Papa! Could you call Tim for me?"

Francis was just hanging up the phone with Ismael's mother. She said that Ismael would love to swim with Matthew and his friends. He told her to just drop him off at their house and they would do the rest. "Yes. Now, does Alfred know? You should make sure he wants to go too."

Matthew nodded. "U-Um… Do you know where he is?"

Francis chuckled. "Oui. Alfred is in the backyard with Arthur."

"Thank you, Papa!" Matthew kicked off again, towards the kitchen once more to the summer door. Through the glass, he could see Alfred running around the yard, kicking a soccer ball. Arthur was sitting at the picnic table under the maple tree and reading a book (about fairies no doubt).

"Alfred!" Matthew burst through the door. Alfred stopped kicking the ball, letting it bounce off the fence.

"Yeah?" Where was that voice coming from?

"Alfred! Do you wanna go swimming tomorrow at Gilberts?" Matthew looked at his twin hopefully.

Alfred scratched his head thoughtfully. "Hmm… No."

Matthew's smile broke. "B-But… Gilbert wanted me to invite people to his house to go swimming… And I wanted you to go…" If Alfred wasn't there, there was no way Matthew would be able to stand the crowd – no matter if it was small or large – of children. Just because he was excited didn't mean he was not frightened by the idea of more strangers.

"G-Gilbert said he has two friends coming over. A girl and a boy. He also said I could bring some friends. M-Maybe you could b-bring I-I-Ivan…" Some of the tears he had been willing down started to fall. The blonde hiccupped.

Alfred knitted his brows together. He didn't mean to make his Mattie cry. He just didn't like Gilbert! "Come on, Mattie. Don't cry! I'll go swimming with you! Uh- You said Gilbert is inviting other people! Who?"

Matthew wiped his eyes. "H-He said Roderich and Elizaveta. A-And he said I could invite some people."

"Yeah? Who?"

His twin sniffed. "I-Ismael and Tim…"

"Ismael? He's the one who always beats you up!"

"N-No! He doesn't mean it! H-He says he just… doesn't… like you… A-And since we l-look alike, he confuses us. He really is a good friend."

"Fine. And who's Tim?" The older twin was now prying, trying to figure out all of his brother's 'friends' so he could make sure he was protecting him.

"Tim is from Denmark. He was the new kid who couldn't speak English at first. Remember? …You were one of the ones who made fun of him…"

Arthur looked up from his copy of the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tales book. The words "make fun of" was like a warning phrase for parents. It was a phrase that when heard, usually meant that someone's child needed to be punished and the other's consoled.

"Who's making fun of who?" he asked.

"N-No one D-Dad!" Matthew spouted.

"Yeah. Go back to your fairies and pixies, Dad!" Alfred made chicken wings and danced around, squawking. Matthew didn't have the heart to tell him that was the wrong animal so instead, he laughed along with Arthur.

* * *

><p>Gilbird flew through the house, chased by a hyperactive albino. Gilbert was trying to catch his bird to put him back in his cage.<p>

"C'mon, Gil! We're going to the store and you can't just stay out of your cage!" Gilbird squawked loudly and flew up high near the ceiling. "C'mon Gilbird!" Gilbert whined.

Ludwig was sitting in the den, a very annoyed look about his face. That damn bird had better get into its damn cage or it would find its way under a rock. "Gilbert! Get that damn bird in its cage so we can go to the god damn store already!" Gilbert flinched.

"I'm trying! But he flew to the ceiling!" He looked up at the bird perched so cheerfully on the ceiling fan.

"Here, I'll just turn on th-"

"No! What if you hurt him?" Gilbert thought a moment. "C'mon, Gilbird~ we're going to the store to get ready for Birdie to come over!"

Gilbird perked up and chirped happily, fluttering his wings. "_Piyo, piyo_!" The little yellow bird flew down and around Gilbert's head before nesting into his hair. "_Piyo_!"

Gilbert picked him out of his hair and held on to him. "Finally!" He ran up to his room and placed Gilbird into his cage, not without a lecture on listening first though, and then he ran back down – almost into Ludwig – to the den. "I'm ready!"

Ludwig glanced at the wall clock. It had been an hour since he first told Gilbert they were going to the store. He sighed.

At the grocery store, Ludwig had placed Gilbert into the push basket and went on his way to get things their father had put on their grocery list. Cheese, carrots, bread, milk – the usual – plus a few other things for Gilbert's party.

"Don't forget! Roddy only eats organic and Liz likes Swedish fish!" Gilbert reminded. He was sitting at the foot of the basket, looking ahead around corners. He pointed the way around the store.

"Ja, ja." Ludwig rolled his eyes.

By the time everything on the list had been round up (plus a few things Gilbert insisted they needed), Ludwig was at check out.

"Let me do it! I'm awesome at it!" Gilbert nearly shouted as he placed the items on the conveyer belt. With each item placed, his smile (and ego) grew.

Ludwig almost fell through the front door of their suburban home from all the stress Gilbert had caused. That kid had a lot of energy. God kill him now if there are going to be more little monsters running around tomorrow.

* * *

><p>The next day Ismael's mother, Mrs. Sanchez, knocked on the front door of the Kirkland-Bonnefoy residence. Ismael stood next to her, smiling and excited.<p>

Arthur answered the door. "Oh, good morning, Maria. Come in." The blonde man led the Cuban woman and her son into the dining room where the family had just finished breakfast. Tim Densen was already sitting with the family – his older brother Mikkel drove him over before breakfast. The blonde spit-fire had been talking up the family since he had arrived, striking up a friendly rivalry with Alfred even.

"Hey, Matthew," Ismael greeted. The younger twin smiled at his friend.

"Hello."

Francis, Arthur, and Maria were chatting away now. Francis offered the woman a cup of tea or coffee but she declined.

"I hope Ismael isn't any trouble."

"Nonsense, Maria." Francis's slight French accent rolled the 'r' in her name. "He'll be fine."

"Yes, but I know he can confuse the twins sometimes…" The adults glanced over to the children who were all sitting at the table having a conversation of their own.

"You'd better not beat Mattie up," Alfred warned Ismael.

The dark-toned child scoffed. "Why'd I want to do that? It's you who needs a good whack." Tim snickered.

"Ja, you seem really full of yourself, buddy." The Danish child then gave an obnoxious laugh that could rival even Alfred's. "I'm Tim." He stuck his hand out to Ismael and the two shook hands.

Alfred huffed. "Don't take his side, you don't even know him."

Matthew threw a soft glare at his brother. "Don't be mean to my friends, Al." Speaking of which… "Is Ivan coming?"

"Nah. He said his big sister has a cold and they all have to stay home."

"That's no good. I'm sorry. But I'm sure you'll have fun anyways."

The four children continued to talk until Francis told them that they would be leaving in a few minutes and to get ready. Maria had left before and had left a change of clothes and his swimming trunks in a plastic bag with Arthur.

"You all go change into your swim shorts before we leave," Francis said as he ushered them upstairs. He handed Ismael his bag.

"So who's this Gilbert guy?" The Cuban asked Matthew.

"I met him at the playground a few days after school let out. He's really nice and his family is real nice too." Matthew gave a small smile. He knew Ismael had a crush on him but he didn't have the heart to tell him that he didn't return the feelings.

"Oh." Ismael scuffed at the carpet in Matthew and Alfred's room. Tim was in the connected bathroom, changing. "Then where'd you meet Tim?"

The Canadian giggled. "We met before school let out. He came from Denmark and everyone was being mean to him so I said hello." He now had a light dusting of a blush across his nose from Ismael's investigating. Everyone had to be so protective over him!

The boys changed and made their way back down to the living room where Arthur was rubbing sunscreen on his arms even though the sun was hidden behind not just a sheet but what seemed like an entire billowy blanket of clouds. The twins and Francis both knew that any amount of sun turned the Briton a lobster red.

The two men rounded up the children and fitted them all into the SUV that was usually reserved for road-trips. The ride was relatively calm. That is if you were a pro at ignoring little comments like, "Stop touching me!" or "Are we there yet?"

Arthur knocked on the front door of the Beilschmidt family. Beyond the wood and glass they could all hear shouting and the thumping of someone running around.

"I'll get it!" Gilbert yelled. Gilbird flew after him, chirping in his deep voice. "Oh! It's Birdie's family!" The little albino let the group in. "My dad's in the kitchen with Feliciano, Mr. Bonnefoy." Gilbert led the group to his father. "They're here!" he shouted.

"Who's here? A long, brunette haired girl popped her head out from one of the rooms. Francis and Arthur continued to Fritz and left the children to talk.

"This is Liz. And she's a girl."

"Yeah. We found out a year ago!" Elizaveta patted her chest proudly. "And in the room over there is Roderich. Say hi, Roddy!" The girl pointed to the stuffy looking kid in the playroom. He had a refined look to him even though he couldn't be any older than any of the others.

"I'm Tim." The Dane pointed to himself with a cocky smile.

"Oh hey Birdie! Who's the other guy?"

"This is Ismael." Matthew blushed.

"Cool." Gilbert glanced quickly to Tim and Ismael. "Just so we got it clear, Birdie's mine." Matthew's blush deepened.

"Oh! What am I missing?" Elizaveta jumped onto Gilbert's shoulder, pointedly knocking him off his feet and Gilbird out of his make-shift nest on his head. "Do I hear some romance going on?"

Gilbert shoved her off. "I liked you better when you were a boy. You didn't care about all that mushy stuff."

Alfred had been standing behind everyone, listening. He was quiet – a feat in itself. "H-Hey! Who said any of you could claim my brother? Since I'm his twin, I get to say who gets to have him."

The three other boys were about to start making their cases but Roderich came in and quieted them all. "You are all noisy so shut up." Effective enough. "How can I listen to the music while all of you are yelling?" That was when the four new-comers heard the soft piano music coming from the playroom and out of a few speakers.

"Eh, just go back to your music, Roddy. The rest of us are going swimming anyways." Gilbert led the group to the kitchen where the door that led out to the patio was. He didn't worry about the dogs because Ludwig had taken them up to his room upstairs earlier that morning.

Fritz was talking with Francis and Arthur as Feliciano was making pasta – when wasn't he? – and Ludwig was cleaning up all his messes. "Are you guys ready to swim?" The German man asked.

"Yup! Can we go?" Gilbert inched his way towards the door, Gilbird once again resting in his hair.

Fritz laughed and opened the door for them all. They all were already in their swim suits – just needed to take their shirts off – and as soon as they all did, the group of children was swimming like maniacs. …Or children on a hot summer day.

Alfred was playing some kind of tag game with Tim who kicked as hard as he could to keep up with the loud twin. Matthew had been coaxed into the pool by Gilbert and Elizaveta while Ismael assured him that the water was fine.

The children swam, Gilbird wet his wings and hopped from head to head, and the adults sat around the patio talking.

Feliciano came to the back yard at around noon to tell the group that lunch was ready. "It's pasta, ve~!"

"Pasta?" Tim asked, sticking out his tongue. Mikkel's cooking skills revolved around fish so he was wary of the thought of fishy pasta.

"Yeah," Gilbert answered. "Feliciano makes awesome tomato pasta." He helped Matthew out of the pool and Fritz handed them all a towel to dry off before they sat down at the large patio table, each with a helping of Feliciano's pasta.

"It's good right?" Gilbert asked the-almost-as-loud-as-Alfred Tim. The Dane nodded with a mouth full of noodles.

Elizaveta and Roderich were talking about music. Arthur was chastising Alfred about table manners, Ludwig was fighting off inappropriate thoughts about Feliciano, Tim was savoring the fish-free food, and Ismael and Gilbert were vying for Matthew's attention while said blonde wondered why they liked him so much.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I wanted to clear something up. I used Tim as Denmarks name even though it is popular with the Netherlands. I always try and use a character/nation's official name, but since Himaruya stopped officially naming characters and said he wanted his fans to use whatever name they like, I went with Tim for Denmark. Also, Mikkel in the last chapter, mentioned very briefly, was the Netherlands. Also, I didn't want to use Matthias since it is the German version of Matthew. And... since I already have a Matthew and since it's awkward enough with having a brother named Matthew... XD Yeah... So basically, I just switched their names, long story short.

So no one is confused, yes, I did just do a time skip. Yeah. I went there. There will be no more time skips, unless I plan an epilogue... Maybe...  
>The teachers and high school are based off my life. I had an ex-navy seal as an English teacher freshman year and I hated him. He only talked about his life and was so conceited. Grr... We have two art teachers, but the 'good' one is the hippie. She's the one who doesn't judge your art based on her own prefrences. My high school is four stories.<p>

Thank you everyone who review/will review! It means a whole bunch! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did while writing it!

* * *

><p>The awkward children grew into awkward pre-teens and then into even more awkward teenagers.<p>

Matthew's friendship with Gilbert continued, much to Alfred's distress, along with his friendships with Tim and Ismael. With Gilbert came Elizaveta and Roderich, who Alfred didn't care much for.

Alfred's own friends also developed their own personalities like the dubbed 'outcasts' of Matthew's. Ivan grew into a large, intimidating young man and Kiku grew more and more distant towards the outside world past his two-dimensional relationships. Ivan's older sister became a mother and Ivan's younger sister became a very terrifying young girl.

It was the first day of their freshman year of high school and the whole group was crowded outside the front doors. Four stories of pure, unadulterated horror were just a few steps away.

Alfred, the least scared of the group, next to Tim and Gilbert, of course, was the first to step towards the doors. "C'mon guys. Stop being such scardy cats."

"I'm not a cat!" Gilbert defended at the same time Tim said, "What's wrong with being a cat?"

Alfred took Matthew's hand and they walked through the doors, followed closely by their friends. Inside, the walls were painted white but the color was faded from age and improper cleaning. The lockers were a light grey and stretched all the way to the other side of the school. In the middle, there was a large crowd of students. To the left of it, there was a glass casing of something that the group couldn't distinguish from where they were and to the right was the cafeteria, though they couldn't see it either.

More people were still coming in from behind them; people pushing past them to get inside the cool building to escape the early morning heat. School buses were still arriving and the legal driving portions of the school were all mixed together as they came to the school.

"C'mon," Alfred said again as he dragged his twin down the wide hallway, past groups of students. "We have to find where our homeroom for today is!"

They soon found that the crowd in the middle of the main hallway was where all the students were looking at the posted names to find their homeroom teacher and room for the first week. Four different colours were posted for each grade. The freshmen were green, so the group was clawing their way to the front to look for their rooms.

The students were separated by last name, alphabetically. Gilbert frowned when he found this out. Matthew and Alfred, their last name being Williams, were at the very end of the list. Everyone was going to be separated for the day.

After saying their goodbyes, they all went their separate ways to find their homeroom before the bells rang.

Alfred and Matthew found their rooms easily; it was on the main hallway a bit further past the cafeteria. The door was locked and the lights were off so they waited by the door.

Matthew looked out at the other people passing by. There were other, frightened freshmen, sophomores who laughed and reminisced with each other about how they were scared their first day too, cocky juniors, and seniors who just couldn't wait for the last day already.

Alfred was reading – okay, calm down, he was actually reading a comic book – and shifting his footing every now and again. The bell rang a few minutes after he opened his comic and the teacher was at her door within that few minutes.

"Hello, boys," she said happily as she unlocked her door. "Are you excited for your first day of high school?" Alfred and Matthew nodded, one more timidly than the other.

The classroom filled up quickly, other students stumbling once they were sure they had the right room number. When everyone was in their correct room, the principal came on over the intercom and the homeroom teachers passed out everyone's class schedules.

Matthew and Alfred compared theirs. They only had study hall together, at the end of the day.

"That's, alright, Mattie. We get to meet a whole bunch of new people and then we can tell each other about it!" Alfred said, patting his twin's shoulder. Matthew nodded nervously.

The other students were comparing their schedules also and when the bell rang, they were instructed to go to their first period class.

Alfred waved goodbye and found the stairs to the first floor, since they were apparently on the second. Matthew looked at his own schedule and saw that he had art first period on the fourth floor. He took the same turn past doors to the stairwell and began his trek to his first class in high school.

After climbing the stairs, to the right was an open hallway with the left sides and ends open so one could look out at the second floor and the cafeteria. There was an officer leaning on the railings that looked out at the cafeteria and watched as people looked for their classes. This intimidated Matthew.

His art class was the third door down the hall, the first being an office and the second being a blocked door into the art classroom. The art teacher was short and she screamed hippie to anyone who glanced at her. Matthew felt that Elizaveta and his new teacher would get along well with each other.

She greeted him happily and told him that he could sit anywhere he felt comfortable. Matthew gave her a shy smile and did so.

The room was large; two standard classrooms would be able to fit into it. The walls and ceiling and some of the concrete floor were painted with past students works. Large half-finished and finished projects were scattered everywhere. A small shelf of lockers was on one wall and paints and other art supplies were stacked in an unorganized manner atop of them. The room, in a nut shell, was very unorganized, but it gave for a welcoming environment.

Four groups of tall desks were arranged in the middle of the classroom – they were painted also. Matthew took his seat at one with legs painted like a zebra and the bottom plank painted like the ocean with fish and seaweed.

When the last bell rang, the teacher closed the door. She explained her rules, which were pretty standard, and then told her students that she really didn't care what happened in her classroom as long as it didn't get her into trouble. If you felt the need to listen to music while working on an art project, do so. If you need gum to concentrate, that's fine.

Then she explained that she wanted everyone to start their year off with drawing out a self-portrait. Any kind of media could be used, except for pastels as they were running low on them. After giving her instructions, she went to her computer and began blasting foreign music.

Still not having said a word, Matthew began on his project. Other students were grabbing paper off of the many counters along the walls and finding their media of choice.

Matthew took a simple piece of white paper and a pencil and began drawing a maple leaf in the corner of the paper. On the opposite corner, he drew his new kitten Kumajirou. The other two corners were left blank. In the middle, he drew little wisps of wind. His attention was completely on the paper and his mind began to wander off on its own as he drew what he felt needed to be drawn.

The teacher began walking by, having small conversations with the students about their art and preferences. When she passed by Matthew she didn't stop and skipped over him, but he didn't notice. It was only when she tapped his shoulder that he jumped.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya." She smiled and looked at his paper. "What's the maple leaf, to you?" she asked as she leaned on the desk.

"I-I'm from Canada," Matthew said, worried that he had messed up her instructions.

"Really? I've always wanted to meet a Canadian," she laughed. "And is this your cat?" Matthew nodded. "So what's the wind? It's very interesting."

Matthew blushed and stuttered out, "P-People u-usually don't n-notice me."

"Ah. Oh! Sorry. I didn't notice you at first too." The teacher laughed casually. "But then again, I am kind of spacey." She thanked Matthew for explaining and before they knew it, the bell rang and they were off to their second period.

Matthew had English on the other side of the school on the first floor. As he made his way there, he worried that he would ever have enough time between classes. Someone bumped into him while he was thinking and he fell down. "S-Sorry," he said quietly, getting up.

"Hey! Birdie!" Gilbert said happily. "How was your first class? Mine was so boring. I had math."

"I had art. And I'm on my way to English."

"Lucky," Gilbert muttered. "And I have English too! What teacher?"

They had the same class and Gilbert was very excited. The two boys walked to class together and Gilbert made sure they sat next to each other. Their teacher, however, had different intentions.

He passed out a packet of papers without introducing himself and told the students to fill it out honestly. It was a bunch of personality questions that determined the usage of the left, right, or both sides of the brain. Gilbert picked random answers while Matthew diligently filled out the packet.

After they finished, the teacher gave out the different scores for each answer and told everyone to stand up at the front of the class while he assigned their new seats based on their scores. Matthew and Gilbert got similar scores so they were separated. So much for sitting together.

The students were separated into groups of four. Matthew sat at one group while Gilbert sat to the one opposite of his. He took that chance to sit close to him.

After seating arrangements were made, the teacher introduced himself as an ex-navy seal and entertained the class for the last few minutes of class with a battle story. They would find out later that he liked to ramble about his life a lot.

After English, Matthew had Math, the same teacher Gilbert had. He said goodbye to Gilbert and made his way down the hall and up to the third story. He was just sitting down when he was thinking about why all his classes were so spread out across the school.

The class was a standard math classroom. A few motivational posters and teaching certificates and two chalkboards hung on the walls. A stout man walked in and greeted his class with a grandfatherly vigor. He was very welcoming and friendly. Matthew felt like he would be enjoying this class very much.

After Math was lunch. There were three lunches separated by different classes. Matthew had A Lunch with his Biology class.

The timid freshman wondered into the large cafeteria. There was a small stage on the left with an office. To the right there were lines of students jutting out of different doors for lunch. At the back, there was a wall of glass and outside were a few students lingering. Matthew headed there quickly in hopes that it was quieter and less intimidating.

He was right. Outside it was quiet and cool. The school cast a shadow over the small patio and even though there were no tables, there was a small wall that a few of the students were sitting and eating on. Matthew opted to sit against the brick wall besides the glass and enjoy the breeze. He had thirty minutes until his next class.

Matthew thought to himself while he waited for lunch to end. He hadn't seen anyone besides his brother and Gilbert since the bells rang. He wondered if any of the others had the same lunch as him, but he decided he would ask after school. He was pulled out of his thoughts, though, when Ivan came outside.

"Ah, Comrade Matvey!" he said cheerfully. He had a thick Russian accent despite having lived in the States most of his life. Ivan's ever-present childish smile was wide as he made his way to Matthew. "It is nice to see a familiar face, da?"

"Y-Yeah." Matthew scooted over for Ivan even though there was more than enough room on either side of him for the other to sit already. "Ivan? Do you know if anyone else has this lunch?"

"A lot of others have this lunch, Matvey, though I do believe that Ismael has this lunch, as well as Tim." Ivan pulled a bottle of water from out of his backpack and drank it all. "I could get them if Matvey wishes."

Matthew smiled. "T-That would be nice, but you don't have to." Ivan stood up.

"Nonsense. It's no trouble at all." Ivan's accent made him seem a bit irritated, though Matthew knew he wasn't. The Russian teenager waved goodbye and went back inside the noisy cafeteria. He came back a few moments later with Tim and Ismael following close behind.

The two other's faces lit up when they saw Matthew. Matthew waved as they sat down and said hello. The rest of the lunch was spent comparing schedules and talking about their days thus far.

Biology was nice too. Matthew felt like he would be able to excel in his class easily. Not to mention Elizaveta was in his class too. She happily sat next to him along with another boy who introduced himself as Toris Laurinaitis. He was shy like Matthew with brunette hair that fell around his shoulders.

Elizaveta kept glancing between the two and her cheeks heated for some reason that Matthew couldn't place.

Everyone, except for certain athletic, band, and other organization members, had study hall fifth period. Alfred found Matthew sitting in the back of the classroom and shouted his greetings to him. Most of the class had already met the loud blonde in some way or another and already seemed keen on ignoring him.

Matthew flushed and waved. "Hush, Alfred. You're inside; you don't have to be so loud." Alfred sat down next to him.

"Anyways~ How was your day? Mine was so boring. All my classes are super strict. Except for Ag. Ag is awesome!" Alfred rambled on for five more minutes until he stopped for breath and to ask Matthew about his day.

"Art was nice; the teacher was very nice. Um… I have English with Gil, lunch with Ivan, Ismael, and Tim, I have Elizaveta in Biology, and that's it for now. I have History last period. I also found out Tim and I have last period together." Matthew smiled. His day had been pretty good; no mishaps or screw ups.

"I have math last. Ugh." Alfred slumped in his seat. "That's a way to end the day…"

Matthew laughed. "That's alright. At least it's just for one year."

The bell rang soon after and the twins left their separate ways. Matthew made his way down the stairs again to the first floor. To his surprise, Kiku, Roderich, and Gilbert were already sitting in class.

"Hey Birdie~" The albino said. For the first time today, he noticed Gilbert wasn't wearing his sunglasses. It was an odd sight, really; he had met Gilbert when he was wearing them so without them it was odd. His red eyes were a bit creepy and Gilbert had been told this by Matthew many times, though never in bad context.

"Hi, Gilbert." Matthew sat down next to him – Gilbert more or less had a say in it since he practically dragged him into the seat. The blonde waved to Kiku, who was reading one of his manga and Roderich just shook his head while he read a piece of music in his head, his foot tapping every now and again.

* * *

><p>"How was your first day, chers?" Francis bombarded the twins with questions before they had even set foot through the front door. Arthur had to drag the Frenchman away so the boys could breath – metaphorically speaking, that is.<p>

"Would you boys like a cuppa?" he asked, putting the kettle on. They both nodded and dropped their things by the door. High school had been tiring even though they hadn't done much on their first day.

"So? How were your days? Did anything happen?" Francis continued his bombardment.

"Well, first, there was this fight in first period, then in second this kid blew up the classroom, and at lunch there was a riot." Alfred laughed at both his fathers' faces. "I was just kidding. It was pretty boring. Mattie and I only have one class together."

"It wasn't boring, Al. I really like my art class already. The teacher was very nice and she likes to talk about art very much. Though, she seemed like a hippie to me." Matthew blushed, feeling a bit bad that he was talking about his teacher.

Francis nodded. "Art teachers are always eccentric. If they aren't, they can't understand the true meaning of art~" He pulled a rose from a vase from the side of the room. Arthur pulled it back before any damage could be done to his sons psyches though.


End file.
